Excellent response to Watford’s piloting of electoral registration by email.

Excellent response to Watford’s piloting of electoral registration by email.

More than a quarter of people update information by email.

Published: Thursday, 28th July 2016

This week people in nine thousand Watford properties were emailed by Elecreg on behalf of Watford Borough Council, asking them to confirm their details on the electoral register. So far more than a quarter have responded.

The council carries out an electoral canvass every year, to ensure that everyone who is entitled to vote is on the electoral roll. This email approach could save thousands of pounds a year. Anyone who has confirmed their details electronically won’t need a paper form later this summer, which is also good for the environment.

Cllr Mark Watkin, the portfolio holder for Customer Services, said “I am delighted that this pilot has been such a success – thank you to the thousands of people who have responded so far. If you haven’t yet had time to click on the link – please do so. Don’t worry - if you haven’t received the email, or haven’t replied to it, you will be sent a form through the post later this summer which will include an option to respond via the internet. This is just one example of the Council’s developing Digital Watford strategy, which will make access to our services so much easier through our website, social media and email.”